Today I am sharing a few updates that I made in my personal closet, to make it much more effective and easy to keep organized.

When I last left off, I was REALLY loving our recent addition of the his and hers armoires. We had done the walk-in closet thing, and it was crowded and a challenge to share. There was very little space to navigate, no way could we be in there at the same time. We filled it with too many clothes we hardly wore and could never seem to agree on a consistent organizing system or where the cut-off point was for his clothes and mine. So when we began to renovate the lower level, I decided enough was enough, a simple wall removal gave us a nice big dressing area. The new area allowed us to use two cheapo IKEA armoires as his and hers closets.

I have been living with them since November of last year, and taking note of what was working, and more importantly, what was not.

Working:

The size is perfect. It really keeps me in check with my wardrobe and clothing purchases. I only have so much space so I really need to be selective about what I own and keep things nice and pared down.

The shoe rack we popped in the bottom has been splendid.

LOVE the huggable hangers! They give me plenty of hanging room and nothing slips off the hangers.

Having my own closet space was beyond words fabulous!

I love that the doors conceal our storage, providing less visual clutter when everything is all closed up.

Not Working:

Using baskets on the top shelf for undergarments was a bit of a daily pain.

Using a box for tanks {on the top shelf}. I wear tanks under my clothes daily, so another pain to pull down the box and dig through it each day.

The shelving was spaced far apart, so I wasn't able to maximize how it was used. Items were all stacked on one another, my sweaters would often topple. When I wanted to pull a pair of paints out of the stack, I had to re-stack the rest to put back.

To begin with the armoire update, I took those "problems" and started thinking of potential solutions. Overall, the answer was simple; I wanted to hang my pants or add extra shelves to reduce how many items needed to be stacked, and put my undergarments and tanks in drawers {vs. boxes and baskets}.

Since I couldn't add additional wooden shelving {it wasn't designed sturdy enough or with enough shelving notches}, I decided some sort of drawer system was the solution. Who knew it would be SO hard to find anything that could work. The size of the armoire was proving to be a bit of a challenge. I searched high and low for solutions that were the correct width and depth. I finally found an Elfa system at the Container Store that was intended for pantries. Perfect depth, width and height and it had customizable drawer sizes and mix and match options so we could wave some features and take some pennies off of the final cost. Surprisingly, this was my first ever Elfa system purchase {it is a bit pricey so I usually find alternate less expensive options}, but we had a 20% off coupon and it was the ideal solution, so we took the plunge. I have been glowing ever since!

First order of business was labeling the bins. I went with stick on bookplates:

The bookplates just stuck to the drawer fronts, and I slid in printed labels.

I ended up being able to remove a few items from the hanging side, and categorized the drawers as: Bras, Undies, Workout, Tanks, Long Sleeves and Denim.

Since I just took away the home of my dress pants, I found these pant hangers on sale at Target for just a couple of bucks. I snagged two. And because I removed some shirts from the hanging side, I had no trouble making room for the ultra slim pant hangers.

Sweaters, shorts and accessories all made their way to baskets that we already owned:

I don't mind those items remaining in bins/baskets since they are used less frequently and are now corralled {vs. stacked and tipping}.

After Monday's inspiration post, I decided I wanted to add a place to keep outfit ideas. I have zero style, and although I have been using Pinterest to find great ideas from super fashionable bloggers, I don't check Pinterest in the morning when getting dressed so it hasn't been doing me much good.

A few square cork tiles from Target and some left over project fabric and I had new inspiration boards inside my armoire door:

Then I just browsed Pinterest and printed my favorite clothing combos:

And pinned them onto their new boards:

Throughout the entire process, I made sure to do a quick edit/paring down of items that I haven't worn in the last year. A reader said it perfectly the other day when she said, "You only wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time". I found that to be somewhat true, so hopefully the new idea board will change that!

Now my armoire is much more organized and functional! Everything is simple to find and simple to put away.

How about one of those super fun before and afters?

Is it weird that I actually love putting laundry away now?

And yes, we are still super smitten with our dresser update as well! The room is progressing nicely!

Next up. My ten year old's dresser. Please send me strength and well wishes as this one won't be easy, he didn't get any of his mama's organizing genes....

103 comments:

Awesome post! And, I have been eyeing that exact same Elfa unit for awhile now. I just have to make it to The Container Store (we don't have one very close). One more week and I will hopefully have my hands on one. LOL!!!Great job once again!!! Beautiful work. :)

It looks beatiful, Jen. Love the pinboards with outfit ideas. That would help me with groggy early mornings. I am working on my closet, but I'll probably settle with it ending up like your "Before". :)

The outfit ideas on your door? Genius! I must have a zillion of those pinned on Pinterest but I never actually use them to make outfits. But now I can. :) I kind of want to run home and organize my entire closet right this minute.

Love the Pinterest idea! I sometimes will pin outfits on it too, but you are exactly right...doesn't do me much good when I am getting dressed in the morning! I am stealing that idea!

Your closet/dresser looks great and I like the updates. That said, I will keep my walk in-closet! I need more clothes than you I guess! I already did the spring purge and organizing of my closet in April, but I am saving up for a new closet system which will hopefully go in by the end of the year.

Love this series!

Cindy-you can find huggable hangers at Target and lots of box stores. I bought mine at Homegoods/TJ MAXX.

Love this!! How do you keep your clothing amount so streamlined? I am pretty good at getting rid of things that I haven't worn in a year, but nevertheless, I just have a LOT more stuff!! Also, where do you store your boots (this has been one of life great organizing mysteries to me)?

I didn't always. I used to have a large closet filled with clothing. However, a few things have happened that have made for a simpler, less as more life.

1. I stopped working in an office full time and now work from home, so I just need a few outfits that are "client worthy" and other than that, my wardrobe can stay pretty minimal.

2. When our lower level flooded awhile back, the hubs and I moved into our guest room for awhile, where we shared a super small closet space for a year. I loved how much easier it was to maintain my wardrobe, do laundry, put things away and only wear what I love, so I have decided to try and stick with that lifestyle.

Right now I have one pair of dress boots standing near the armoire without a home. Still brainstorming on those. Winter boots are stored in the garage.

Looks fantastic! I have to admit, I didn't think your original setup was going to work, so I'm pleased to see how it progressed. I think that's one of the best things about your blog...how you show that organization is an ongoing process, there are always new ways of looking at things and improving function. Good luck with your son's dresser! :)

Thanks Rachel! I couldn't agree more! I am always tweaking things as I go until I love it and it sticks. As life changes, so do our organizing needs. Although, it never gets old to me! Bring on the updates, lol!

You're before was gorgeous, and when I started reading this post, I was unsure how you were going to make it even more so, and you did it! LOVE the after picture. The container store elfa system is PERFECT!-Kylieabsolutelyarkansas.blogspot.com

Looks great, Jen! We'll be moving to a new house at the end of the month that has amazing storage in every room except the master bed - ha! We'll probably be looking into some type of wardrobe solution as well.

I like how you 'thought outside the box' in regards to the additional container store storage piece intended for a pantry - it's such a great size for little nooks like you had to work with.

When I organized our dresser, I must have done something right because it's just as it was the day we installed it {except I added more socks}. :) I share the dresser with the Mr. and I use it to store socks, swimsuites/coverups, pagamas, my paint clothes, sweaters and leggings.

You can see those details here: http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/2011/11/basement-progress-my-fairytale-room.html

This looks FANTASTIC, Jen. I seriously love every inch of your home is so organized, fresh and clean. You are such an inspiration. I need to go through my wardrobe STAT!! Maybe doing those Pinterest boards would help. Such a smart idea.

We recently redid our bedroom (I just sent you the pictures earlier today actually! sorry, my cell phone doesn't take the greatest pics.) and ALMOST bought those exact wardrobes. But we opted for different ones (more expensive *sigh*) but they worked a heck of a lot better for what we needed. It has the slide out pant hanger and everything. I ended up storing my shoes under my bed in a storage compartment from the Container Store (oh that store could be the death of my credit card if I let it). Anyway, I love what you did with them! Much more functional!

We have a ridiculous sized closet (it is what attracted me to the house to begin with honestly) and because of that I hoard clothing. This series has forced me to purge purge purge. Thank you for your inspiration! My next step is to add an accessories area in the closet so I can leave dressed and put together head to toe :)

Oh I love the update and way to really make such epic use of the space!

My husband and I just moved to Western NY from Hawaii, and we live with family for now. Our storage space is super limited, and your blog is giving me hope and inspiration for ways to make everything work.

I love the outfits printed out and put in the door - adorable and smart!

I love how your accessories are mounted on the wall. In my pre-Mrs. days, when I had my own room, I used to do the same. It makes getting ready much easier.

Awesome post, awesome ideas.

Do you have another post with details about your room layout? Where is your husband's armoire in relation to yours? Is this in the closet or in your room? How big are the armoires?

It looks so nice what you did & you've really made me think about what improvements I can make here, so thanks! Like you, being home with the kids rather than at the office now, my clothing is paired down which is a good thing. I still hate the amount of laundry we produce as a family of 5, so I will be looking to purge and keep only the things we wear regularly. As for the great Pinterest idea, I just bought three of those cork boards because I thought they would come in useful for something - now I know exactly what to do with them! Jen, you are a star.

Our poor tiny closet currently is crammed with two people's clothes, suitcases, laundry baskets, and misc like gift wrapping supplies -- so this modded wardrobe might be just the solution I need! Had my eye on the Aspelund but those widely spaced shelves just weren't functional enough, so thank you for the Elfa idea.

Oh I love the corkboard idea! I have everything I would need to complete this project for my daughter. A few months ago I took photos of her own clothes in outfits and printed them out in thumbnails for her but we need to do a summer update and this will be a lot more fun to display.

I love everything you do! I am working on my armoire as well but nothing like yours - I thought putting in another shelf would help but now looking at yours I am re-thinking things. Can you tell me where you got the teal baskets? I was looking for baskets this weekend at the dollar store, BBB and Target and couldn't find anything like them. Thanks and once again love your blog!

Oh, I am so envious, girl. I really like those Martha Stewart labels. May have to scoop some up. I was just saying that to my hubby the other day. . .about 20%. I really need to purge again. On my list. Hope you're doing great!

What a brilliant idea to print out some of your fashion inspiration from Pinterest and have inspiration boards in your cupboard to inspire you every morning. I always pin such wonderful things on Pinterest but then never have them on hand when I need them. This is a perfect solution! Thanks Jen.

Love your detailed descriptions. Question: aside from pinning pins from pinterest (try saying that one three times fast!) of favorite clothing combos, do you know what could be used to create the same effect, however, using the items in your own closet? I'd love to put together some 'fail safe' outfits that I can see at a glance when I'm in a rush.Thanks!

Thanks Jen. I also found Kaboodle.com, I can easily upload my own images (at least that's what the FAQs say, I'm in the process of trying that now). Now if I could only find someone willing to take pictures of my clothes, accessories, handbags, and 234+ shoes I'd be good to go! LOL

I love the inspiration boards too! I have zero fashion style and tend to throw on the same things again and again. I might borrow this idea. I also borrowed your scrapbook paper on aluminum cans idea for kids silverware. I just started my own blog and you have been a great inspiration so far. Another great thing about this post is that your closet already looked FABULOUS in the before pictures, but you showed that needs and tastes are constantly evolving and change is necessary and can be fun. Thank you!Erin

Love this post! We don't have built in closets as a rule here in the UK so it's great to see wardrobe ideas I can actually use!Also, I have those wardrobes so will definitely be using some of those ideas!

I loved your post and all the details :) I have a dressing room with the PAX system and I also had the same problem of the shelves(piles of clothes, not easy to acess when I want that one in the bottom of it!). Now I have a lot of stuff hanged up and some drawers. Thanks for all your posts and explanations!Filipawww.welc-home.blogspot.pt

It's so beautiful! I love the colors and patterns you use to decorate with. I especially like how you mod podged the cork tiles for pinterest pictures. So clever! I want to do that something in my closet now.

It is perfect, love it! You see lots of big dressing room type closets that are beautiful but this just goes to show a small closet area can be pretty too. It makes me really want to re-do our closet, it is not pretty. hahaha :)

As a New Years project to help me figure out what I do and don't wear I took all of my clothes on hangers and hung the hangers backwards. When I go to wear an item I take it off the hanger and turn the hanger around so that it is hanging correctly. This has really helped me not only see what I haven't worn and can donate, it has also helped me mix up my outfits. Thanks for the blog you have really inspired me to make my own inspiration boards since I too need some fashion help :)

I hate hanging things up, so when I can, I use drawers, too. But I have a little bit of a problem with underwear shopping, so I think the basket you used for "denim" would have to be the size of my "panties" drawer! ;)

I use this same wardrobe as my craft cabinet. My husband put a permanent desk in the left wider side and made me some extra shelves for both sides. It is in our room and I love how I can just close up the doors to conceal my mess. I need to work on organizing it better and I love knowing the Elfa drawers fit in there. I might have to try those too!

I know this is nosey, but are those all your clothes or just spring/summer items? I always have a hard time deciding whether to leave it all out all year long making my closet overly packed, or storing my off season clothes in tubs or space saver bags. Your closet looks fab!

Oh, I have two of these exact same closets from Ikea and I have the same exact problems with them so I left them in the basement to store my out of season clothes only. You post gave me great ideas on how I can transform mine and make them more useful! Many thanks for the great post!

My husband, 2 year old, and I all share one dresser and one closet so I'm happy to see some of your ideas! One thing I've found for my toddler is to put her drawer down where she can access it. I fold her clothes in 3rds or 4ths (depending on the style of clothing) and put them vertically in bins from the dollar store. This way I can pull out the entire bin of pants and she can see all of her clothes at a glance to choose from. There is a little bit of leftover space at the end of the drawer and in front so I put her pj's on one side and her socks fly around int he front of the drawer. They are sectioned out by pants/shorts/skirts on the left-hand side and t-shirt/tanks/pj's on the right. It works really well for us so far and now I just have to get my husbands drawers organized since his are ALWAYS a mess in the morning.

Fashion is a general term for a popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. "Fashion" refers to current trends in look and dress up of a person, as well as to prevailing styles in behavior. The more technical term, "costume," has become so linked in the public eye with the term "fashion" that the more general term "costume" has in popular use mostly been relegated to special senses like fancy dress or masquerade wear, while the term "fashion" means clothing generally, and the study of it.Designer Costume Jewelry

I love your redo!!!! ... every aspect of it!!! I'm taking some time off of work for the Summer and am finding that 20%/80% ratio you mentioned is so true right now! I've got so many work clothes (and they aren't getting used), that I don't have a streamlined way to grab my Summer quick & easy pieces!! Hhhhmmmm .... may have to make some changes until September now - I'm inspired - was planning to wait it out until I go back to work! Where did you score a 20% Container Store coupon? I love love love Elfa, but usually only buy it during their annual Elfa sale (30%, I think?). But I missed the sale this year!

I'm amazed and inspired that you get by with so few clothing items and shoes. I think my shoes alone would fill up that closet, and yes, I have worn each pair at least once in the last year. :) Kudos to you for living so simply!

Looks beautiful. You are an inspiration with every post. I have been thinking of adding elfa to the bottom of my closet but haven't taken the $$ plunge yet. I love how the following link did her jeans in a vertical file in her elfa drawers rather than the usual pile. Thought I would share. Your house is truly amazing.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iyQHBj_HUBQ&feature=plcp

Very nice armoire! I live in Europe where closets, especially walk-ins, are not common at all, therefore, we have to use armoires. We have the Ikea PAX system and I wanted to let you know that another option for you is to buy a double hanging rod, available at IKEA in the wardrobe/armoire section. I have one and what is great about it is that it is only half a double rod, meaning I can have my dresses hanging long on one side and the two shorter sections on the other side. I am sure that the Container Store would have a double-hanging rod also.

Hi Jen,I'm in love with your blog and i love your philosophy of "simplifying!" =D

This is undoubtedly the BEST, most practical and real-life! closet organization/layout i've come across (and i've been scouring them as we're about to set up our first home in europe!)

We will also be using wardrobe/armorie (2-door each unfortunately due to space, i wish i could have your 3-door seems so much more functional!!) and i was htinking of installing drawers at the bottom where your shoes are, but that cart system would be a lot more flexible inside the 2-door than a drawer since we'd have to bend to open drawers vs. the cart which is quite high.

I know this is an old post, but we have this exact same wardrobe and I was looking to put some elfa drawers in it as well. However, I have a question for you. The measurments on the Container Store's website say the drawers are 20 3/4" deep but my wardrobe is only 19 5/8" deep...but they obviously worked for you. I guess my question is: are the measurements on the website off or have the drawer sizes changed since you purchased yours?

Hi Jen! I know this is an older post, but I just stubbled upon the pinterest pin through a google search (don't you love to know how traffic reached your blog? haha). I love how you organized your Aspelund wardrobe. This is exactly what I have been search for endlessly. I bough the wardrobe not to long ago, I love the spaciousness that this affordable and relatively small wardrobe provides, but I hate the lack of organization it offers. Are you still finding this to be a good organizational plan or have you amended anything. Do you know of any other storage system close to the Elfa one?Excellent job, by the way - I'm sure you know that by now though ;).Thanks!<3 Carolyn

Yes, still loving the Elfa like crazy. It really ended up being the perfect solution to the wardrobe. You may be able to find something similar and less expensive at IKEA. I haven't been there in awhile, but maybe they have new pieces that fit?

I really wouldn't change a thing, the setup has been really wonderful for me.

Thanks for the post, and I'm helping my grandparents doing a minimizing clean throughout their house. And I have to say that I have never seen so many wood hangers before in someone's house. They literally have more hangers than they do clothes.

nice inspirations for me. i have a similar shelfing like your 'before" and I'm now contemplating to switch to using the Elfa type basket like what you did. but what did u do with the shelves that u removed?

I have this exact same wardrobe unit in my bedroom and I have the same problem, with stacking jeans, T-shirts and sweaters on the shelves with wasted space. LOL...Just like you, I have tried the baskets, but I absolutely love what you have done with your wardrobe unit. LOVE IT!!!

It looks so great, that I made a trip to the only Container store in my area which is about an hour away to invest in the Platinum elfa Mesh Pantry Storage.

I would like to get the same exact customizable drawer sizes (mix and match), like you have for my unit. Would you be able to provide me the drawer sizes so that I can purchase them for my unit?

There are a few options that could work {although I have not personally tried any of them}. Maybe spray paint? That would be the easiest. Or using a decorative fabric on the exterior of the drawer {maybe with adhesive and a protective coating?}. Maybe even adding some brightly colored fabric inside or a pretty label on the outside.

Love the wire shelving you put in there! I've been searching high and low for something that would fit in that ikea wardrobe! I was just about to purchase the shelves from Elfa but they're CRAZY expensive, almost as expensive as the unit itself. Just wondering if you found any other alternatives? Nothing at Ikea will fit in there =(

I believe the link in the post was a little dated, here is the correct one for the unit I used (which is currently on sale): http://www.containerstore.com/s/white-cabinet-sized-elfa-mesh-pantry-storage-/d?productId=11002111&q=elfa%20pantry

I searched quite a bit and never did find anything else that would offer the same amount of storage that also fit the wardrobe perfectly. If I ever come across something, I will be sure to update the post with links.

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